Black Architecture Student

- Name:

Jackey Robinson

- City:

Washington, DC - College & Practice (if already practicing):

Graduated from Morgan State University Fall'18 B.S. ARCH, Attending Rhode Island School of Design in the Fall for M.ARCH. - Favorite Architect(s)?

 Mies van der Rohe,

Zara Hadid,

Luis Barragan,

Leon Bridges - Favorite Building(s)?

Casa Luis Barragan,

Baltimore Penn Station 

- Tell us about your background: 

The first architect I encountered was ultimately my father, Victor Robinson, who owns a contracting firm focusing on residential housing in the Washington DC area. Beating all odds, with only a middle school education, learned the contracting fields at the age of 15. By the age of 3, I worked with him every weekend assisting on any assignment I could do from cleaning walls, picking up scraps, or just watching him and his team work and construct. My father was instilling two very important values of my life to date: persistence and hard work. By the age of 12 my mom and I began watching HGTV’s House Hunters and Flip or Flop, and at that point I knew that I wanted to become an Architect, and overall a creative. In the spring of 2010, Mrs. Davis, a teacher and ambassador for Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering Vocational High School to discuss the application process for the newly renovated reopened school in DC. This, I believe was my “luck” driving my artistic mentality. While at Phelps, I met Brandi Hopkins. She is one of the primary reasons that I wanted to go to Morgan State University for Architecture. She is an alumnus, and I was absolutely intrigued with her handwriting, her ability to sketch and the way she was able to transform a series of words into a schematic/parti design. She taught me all of the basics of architecture, pertaining to scale and proportion, the fundamentals of sketching, hand drafting and model making to just name a few. For this I will forever be grateful. - How do you find creativity?

I find creativity through  experiencing life. There's creativity in everything that we do, from waking up and getting dressed to our routines on getting to work.  - What are some of your interests outside of design?

I have a strong interest in performance art. I love to dance. I also have an interest in fashion and event planning.  - How would you describe being a Black Architecture student/Black Architect in the profession?

I think that being a black architect is very challenging. We have to work 10x harder to be taken seriously by professionals of other races.  - How important is diversity to the profession?   

Diversity is extremely important  because representation brings hope to our youth.I want to inspire the generation after me to be ambitious and to dream big! We need diversity in Architecture because Diversity can frame a new form of thinking that can change the world as we know it.  - Are you licensed? No If NO, Why do you wish to be licensed? Being licensed is everything to me. I think that as a licensed architect will open doors to all forms of clients and I feel like studying for the exam will make me become a better architect.  - What is your design philosophy towards Architecture? 

I just start with a great precedent, clear concept and parti diagram. That's the beginning to any great start to any great design.

- Most inspirational Place you have traveled?

Chicago - How do you balance work and Life?

You have to work harder sooner, in order to have some spare time to relax and enjoy life. You have to plan for error. That's the key to having a balance. - Tell us about one of your most significant projects (Built, Unbuilt or Student work)?

My most significant project to date is called Material Doll. Material Doll is  an experimentation with wearable architecture. Focusing on structure, skin + scale, material doll is an independent study exhibition of a custom-made rose pedal coat made of one conventional material. (paper) Each rose pedal is handcrafted, featuring 3 layers of paper using a folding technique. The name of the wearable is deprived off of the words material : the matter from which a thing is or can be made, + doll : to dress someone or oneself smartly and attractively.This independent study began as an exploration of manipulation of paper that turned into an entity. The Doll comfortably exudes femininity + sensuality comfortably strutting the silhouette of the paper rose pedaled coat.